Dr. Francesca de Rosa is the founder of FDR Strategies, bringing a distinguished career marked by innovation and leadership in defense, security, and preparedness.

She currently serves as the Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Scientist at the Center for Advanced Preparedness and Threat Response Simulation (CAPTRS). In this pivotal role, she spearheads the organization's capability development and leads cutting-edge research focused on enhancing preparedness and response strategies for diverse threats through the power of serious gaming.

Prior to founding FDR Strategies, Dr. de Rosa dedicated over twelve years to the NATO STO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation. There, she focused on the creation of advanced decision support systems crucial for defense and homeland security applications. Her work consistently targets the development of solutions for identified technical and scientific capability gaps across the defense and security domains.

Expertise and Approach: Dr. de Rosa’s expertise lies in enhancing decision-making processes within complex sociotechnical systems. Her work uniquely bridges multiple disciplinesv - game science, cognitive and knowledge engineering, human-system integration, and operational analysis - to deliver innovative solutions. This transdisciplinary approach is vital for addressing critical capability gaps in defense, security, public health, civil protection, and crisis management. She is renowned for integrating advanced technologies and methodologies to tackle challenges across these varied domains, ensuring comprehensive and effective solutions.

Academic & Industry Leadership: A recognized leader in the gaming field, Dr. de Rosa holds a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence, specializing in Interactive Cognitive Environments – a field that intersects technology and human cognition to promote improved decision-making, problem-solving, and learning at both individual and organizational levels. She has played a key role in NATO’s Wargaming Initiatives and serves on the board of the Serious Games Society. Her academic foundation also includes a Bachelor's Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a Master's Degree in Water and Soil Management Engineering.

She has also served as an adjunct professor in Computer Games and Simulation at the University of Genoa, Italy, and has provided invaluable advisory support to a range of national and international organizations, including the Italian Ministry of Defense, the NATO Science and Technology Organization, and the European Commission’s Research Executive Agency. Dr. de Rosa has a substantial publication record, contributing numerous academic and NATO publications that underscore her profound impact on the field.